Does anyone know of a source for arura plant of Medicine Buddha fame? I'd like to try to grow some. It seems to be known as Terminalia Chebula in the modern world, and I was very surprised to learn that it is a tree that can grow over 100 feet in height. Has anyone here attempted "aruraculture"?

I have done a quick search and could only find a bulk supplier and the site looked a bit suspect (B and T World Seeds). Where do you live? It appears that it is a Zone 10 plant using the USDA system which means that it is only hardy to 30 F or -1 C , or in other words it is not hardy for toffee. If you are able to get some fresh seed or plant material then you may be able to grow it as a house plant but I guess that you will have to prune and train the plant due to its large stature.

It may be easier to try and buy a plant itself and go from there. Good luck in your search..... I love plants

Yup I found B&T... but I was really looking for a supplier that already had stock in North America. I found one site whose minimum order was eighty metric tons. I don't need quite that much. Another place had an 80 kg minimum, which is getting closer.

You may want to contact some botanical gardens and ask them if they know of suppliers in the US. I doubt that they would give you any seed or plants but they may be able to point you in the right direction. The best botanical gardens in the US are New York, Chicago and Missouri. Longwood Gardens may also know who to contact. If you were in the UK then I would be of more help!

Have fun

P.S. I am pretty sure that Terminalia chebula will be killed outright by several hard frosts (especially when young) and it will need a decent ambient temperature to thrive. Also as it is a sub-tropical/tropical plant, you will need to get seed as fresh as possible to ensure viability.

arisaema81 wrote:I have done a quick search and could only find a bulk supplier and the site looked a bit suspect (B and T World Seeds). Where do you live? It appears that it is a Zone 10 plant using the USDA system which means that it is only hardy to 30 F or -1 C , or in other words it is not hardy for toffee. If you are able to get some fresh seed or plant material then you may be able to grow it as a house plant but I guess that you will have to prune and train the plant due to its large stature.

It may be easier to try and buy a plant itself and go from there. Good luck in your search..... I love plants

On the subject of seeds...my teacher gave me a bunch of these...they are very thin and wispy and come from a very large dark brown pod...from a special tree that grows in Nepal. He said they are used in special ceremonies. Anyone know anything about this ?

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Amazed I found what I was looking for...but I still don't know much else about this seeds history or the name of it :

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Inside are the seeds of this tree which are used in place of flowers for decoration and offerings during the winter. The folks down from the highest reaches of the mountains are particularly eager to snap these up. The old Kinoori women in particular, are fond of these pods and carry them around then wear the papery seeds proudly:

"Your true nature is something never lost to you even in moments of delusion, nor is it gained at the moment of Enlightenment. It is the Nature of the Bhutatathata. In it is neither delusion nor right understanding." [Huang Po]

"Your true nature is something never lost to you even in moments of delusion, nor is it gained at the moment of Enlightenment. It is the Nature of the Bhutatathata. In it is neither delusion nor right understanding." [Huang Po]